Remembrance
by Kizmuth
Summary: After the accident Wirt starts drawing the characters they had met from The Unknown and when his mother asks him to show her his drawings one night Wirt can only watch as the colour from her face drains as her eyes see the beast's image on paper. He finds out something interesting that night.


Wirt drew a lot since the accident. He drew all of the characters he and Greg had met. It had become such an ordinary thing for him that some of his schoolmates asked him if they were characters from a show or something. Greg always watched him while he drew and told him what was wrong, since as it appeared, Greg remembered them more vividly. Maybe it was an age thing. Wirt didn't think too much of it. ''Am I getting the eyes good on Beatrice, Greg? Greg?'' Wirt turned around to seek out his brother. ''Why must you wander off, Greg?'' The elder brother groaned. He heard giggling from underneath his bed and smiled fondly as he grabbed a hold of Greg's leg and tugged at it gently. ''I see you, Greg. Come out!''

''Hey, there's a bunch of drawings here.'' Greg crawled out from underneath the bed with papers in his hands that he set down on the table and scattered about. Wirt snickered when he noticed Greg had cobwebs in his hair. He ruffled his hair and took them out with a smile. There was The Woodsman, Lorna, Enoch, and The Beast. They were all unfinished in a way. Enoch was missing all of the lines on his pumpkin head. The beast wasn't coloured. The woodsman's hand was missing. They were all drafts, doodles of some kind. Wirt scowled deeply at the drawings and mumbled, ''I better finish these. Here, the beast is easiest.'' Wirt grabbed the paper and started colouring the inky black creature.

''Knock knock!'' A woman's voice said happily. Greg laughed, ''Who's there!''

''Cookies!'' Wirt smiled at the response their mother gave.

''Cookies who?''

''Cookies for you and your brother!'' The good woman smiled. Greg clapped his hands together and rushed to open the door. She entered with a tray of cookies and smiled. She was a perfect mix of the boys. She had Wirt's hair, Greg's smile, and she was such a kind person. The type you'd see doing volunteer work. She smiled at her children and raised her eyebrows at the mess on the table. Wirt blushed in embarrassment and quickly moved the drawing utensils off the table so she could set the tray down. When he made enough room she set it down and kissed his cheek. ''How are you two?'' She sat down on the bed and gestured the cookies, ''Eat as much as you like. My brave boys.'' Small tears formed in her eyes.

The fact that she could have lost her children still haunted her. She saw the drawings scattered about and took one randomly to look at them and admire her son's skill. It was a nice bird, the details were extraordinary.

Greg munched on the cookies eagerly while Wirt took one maybe two in a reserved manner. She shook her head at that but said nothing.

''Do you like them, Gregory?'' A smile spread across her face when her son nodded and took another. ''Yeah, mommy! They're awesome!''

''What about you, Wirt? My little artist?''

Wirt nodded with a small smile. ''They're great, mom.'' He swallowed and rubbed his hands together. ''Mum, don't look at those. They're not finished yet.''

''Wirt these drawings of yours look amazing!'' She exclaimed. ''I love how realistic this bird looks. Did you use a reference? It's very good.'' She patted his head and took another drawing. ''Oh, this is one of your abstract art right?'' She looked at Enoch and the pumpkins with arched eyebrows and a small smile present. When she narrowed her eyes and saw a skeleton putting on a pumpkin on its head in the background she stopped a bit. Her cheery tone dropped to a whisper. ''May I see some more, son?'' She still held her smile.

Wirt nodded and handed her another drawing. The frogs. She studied the drawing and commented on it. Greg had eaten most of the cookies and had joined their mother to marvel at Wirt's impressive skill. When they both commented on that he blushed and told him he wasn't all that good. She handed her younger son the drawing she had finished watching and stared down at her hands for a bit before asking to see another drawing.

Wirt took a random drawing off the table and gave it to her. It was Lorna in her possessed form. His mother gasped in surprise and asked, ''oh is this from one of those horror shows I keep being warned about. Oh you teenagers and your gory occult movies.'' She laughed. Greg shook his head no and tugged at her sleeve. She looked at him. ''No mommy, that's Lorna. Wirt and I saved her from the evil spirit with Jimmy's help of course!'' He took the frog and pulled him to his lap. ''He swallowed the magic bell and thanks to him we freed her from the evil spirit!''

The mother smiled at her son's imagination. ''That's nice dear.''

''Mom, I really don't think you want to see the rest of these, they're stupid.'' Wirt tried to get himself out of this. His mother crossed her arms and huffed, ''that is what you said about the rest of them and I loved each and every one. You have talent, Wirt. If you'd like, I could sign you up for an art class?'' She offered off hand and Wirt smiled. He loved his mother so much. ''I don't know, I'll think about it...'' He handed her the drawing of the woodsman. ''This one's unfinished yet. It's a doodle really. I mean, I don't know...uh...'' He stammered.

''I like it,'' was all she said. She gazed at it for a while and repeated, ''I like it, Wirt. It looks really nice.'' The shading was very well done on this one. The source of the light was unknown to her however. The mother looked at the drawing carefully and noticed that a hand was missing and asked, ''what was supposed to be in the hand, Wirt?''

Greg answered, ''a spooky dark lantern!''

Their mother seemed to twitch at those words for a moment before composing. ''A lantern you say?'' She laughed, ''well that would explain the shading. What? Not a fan of drawing lanterns, son?''

Wirt grumbled, ''I didn't get to it yet.''

''Well I like your drawings very much!'' She proclaimed for all to hear. Greg scooted closer to her and she gave him a hug before asking for another drawing. ''Gimme another one of your stupendously amazing drawings, Wirt!'' Her son blushed at that comment and grabbed the only one left on his desk.

A black figure stared at her with its unmoving, hollow eyes. This was the simplest drawing her son had handed her, yet it was the only one that made her tremble. She shook and grabbed the paper with her tremor ridden hand, wrinkling the paper. She heard her children ask what was wrong but all she could remember was the laughter. The singing, the mirthless laughter filled with mocking. Filled with disdain. She recalled her losing hope. She recalled the screams.

She dropped the paper and stood up suddenly. Tears welled in her eyes as she took a step back.

''Mommy what's wrong?'' Her children asked. She couldn't answer.

''...You know...the beast...'' She finally managed to say with a hiccup. ''You were in The Unknown...weren't you?'' She gazed up at them and trembled. It had been so long since any memory in her resurfaced. Seeing that hideous creature brought out another sob out of her. She rushed to them and grabbed both of her children, bringing them in a hug. ''My brave, brave boys...'' She nuzzled her head against Wirt's cheek and whispered, ''I'm so happy you aren't dead. I'm so happy.''

The stepfather cautiously entered the room and asked what was wrong. Wirt and Greg tried to explain in the best way they could but the mother said to her husband with tears, ''I was just admiring my sons. You know, my boys...my lively, talented, brave boys.'' She kissed Greg on the head and smiled up at her husband who went to hug them but the mother comically hissed, ''mine,'' and hugged them tightly. The husband chuckled and said goodnight.

The mother straightened herself up and demanded in the most serious tone they had heard her use, ''Tell me more about your travels in The Unknown. Skip no details. I want to know how and why you were sent there.''

So the boys began their tales. She listened intently to each and every one. Wirt was still apprehensive about telling her all the dangerous people they had faced but she was adamant to hearing them all. When they came to the beast story they heard their mother gasp in fear and nod for them to continue. Greg began and told her how he was in Cloud City. A tear slid down her cheek at that. He explained vividly to her how tree roots grew over Wirt and pulled him down. A small gasp escaped her at her son's bravery.

''You mean to tell me that you went with the beast on your own accord?'' She asked incredulously. ''You're so brave, Greg. My brave little boy.'' Wirt nodded in agreement. ''Yeah, then he gave me a heart attack when I woke up and heard the beast singing his tune.''

The mother nodded. ''I can only imagine the horror you felt.''

''...Yeah...I fell in a freezing lake and was fished out with a net by a fish and Beatrice.'' The mother hugged her eldest son. ''My poor baby.''

''What did he make you do Gregory?'' The mother inquired of the youngest. ''What did the beast make you do in the snowstorm?''

''He made me fetch him a golden comb, hehe I brought him a honey comb...something silver, I brought him spider web on a stick...and he wanted me to-''

Her eyes widened in horror at the familiarity of everything, ''-lower the sun inside a tea cup...''

''YEA!'' Greg shouted. Wirt raised an eyebrow at his mother.

She shivered. ''I'm so happy you two came back to me.''

''How did you two even survive? The last time I saw the beast he was pretty angry that I had bested him in a way...not at his little challenges...but that he couldn't do what he had done to my friends to me. How did you two escape him? He wouldn't let you live as long as he could move.'' She whispered. ''I was just lucky enough to have something he wanted at the time...I'll never forgive myself for doing what I had done.'' The mother took a moment to reflect on her actions. When that was done she turned to her children and asked them to explain how both of them managed to survive.

''The lantern he carries...'' Wirt began, ''was a container for his soul.''

She gulped. ''I can't believe it. I had that fucking lantern in by hands!'' She cursed and quickly covered her mouth with her hands. ''Don't repeat that word. That is a naughty word.''

''Sorry, go on, Wirt.'' She urged him to resume with the explanation. She hung on every word her eldest spoke. It was so easy now that she looked at it. But being stuck in ignorance was what the beast wanted most.

''And then the woodsman blew out his soul. We woke up and were taken to the hospital...that's it.''

''You both survived. No ultimatum to follow...my I can only imagine the priceless face on the creature when you said his deal was stupid.'' The woman laughed merrily with her sons.

''How did you win?'' Greg asked innocently. Curiosity was his main motif. He wasn't trying to be spiteful, the child was just curious. She sighed deeply at that. Her eldest son looked interested now. ''I wasn't alone. There were some of my friends from school. We got in a car accident around back where the graveyard is now. There were three of us. I found a lit lantern and took it to help me through the forest. The beast had left it with someone and that someone had left it on a table. I remember there was an axe... Apparently I had stolen the lantern...'' She laughed sourly at that accusation. ''It happened when I was thirteen, my friends were both sixteen – yeah I hung out with an older crowd. They got lost. And you know all of the lullabies I sang to you kids, no? No matter, I sang them to help calm my anxiety down...the beast had already found me. But he found no lantern. He was livid. He interrogated me, demanded I tell him where I had hidden the lantern. I heard tree roots advancing on me. I remembered the tales of him turning people into oil trees from a nice tavern keeper. He hissed at me, his deep voice ringing in my ears. It felt like the darkness itself spoke through him...I had given my friends the lantern in hopes of them finding some food for me. I wasn't into girl scouts and they were, so I figured they'd get the whole poisonous – not poisonous berry thing. I shed tears in front of him when he grabbed me by my shoulders. Slowly, carefully, he tried striking up a deal when he saw that I was a blubbering mess. I do not know why he was honest with me... it could have been the desperation. The lantern didn't look like it was going to last when I gave it to my friends. He asked me in a crooning tone where the lantern was. Oh that manipulating bastard switched his entire tactic! He told me that he would help me get back home personally if I told him the truth. I was so scared and exhausted I told him everything, in which direction they went in – everything...''

Wirt laid a hand on his mother's shoulder when he saw her tearing up again. Greg hugged her.

''I was the only one to survive the car crash.'' She finally said.

''Oh mom...'' Wirt whispered.

She wiped her tears away and stood up, kissing both her children goodnight and smiled. ''Well, that's all in the past now. We're all alive and well...yeah...goodnight boys.'' She closed the door.


End file.
